Winner's medal issued to legendary East German swimmer Roland Matthes at the Mexico City 1968 Summer Olympics. Gilt silver, 60 mm, 125 gm, originally designed by Giuseppe Cassioli. The front is inscribed, "XIX Olimpiada Mexico 1968," and features a 'Seated Victory' with the Colosseum in the background; the reverse depicts a victorious athlete with palm branch being carried by several jubilant athletes. A small plaque attached to the top of the medal bears a pictogram of an arm above water, with the reverse marked, “200 mts., dorso, varonil,” or ‘200 meters, back, men,’ and the plaque bearing the original blue ribbon. Accompanied by its brown and beige presentation case with the lid debossed with “Mexico.”
Mexico winner’s medals with their original pictogram plaque are quite uncommon, with this example all the more historic given the prominence of its recipient—German swimmer Roland Matthes (1950-2019) was not simply a great backstroke swimmer, he was, and remains, the best of all time. Between April 1967 and August 1974 he won all backstroke competitions he entered. He won four European championships and three world championships in a row, and swam 19 world and 21 European records in various backstroke, butterfly, freestyle and medley events. During his Olympic career, Matthes won a total of four gold medals, two silver medals, and two bronze medals.
Includes an uncommon gold medal winner’s pin issued for a gymnastics event at the Mexico City 1968 Summer Olympics. Pin measures 12 mm x 19 mm and is a miniature duplicate of the larger Mexico City winner’s medal, showing Victory on the front and a victorious athlete on the reverse, with small upper plaque featuring the pictogram for gymnastics. The clutch back appears original.
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